Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2016

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 152251 - 152280 of 159595

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Dietary Patterns, Insulin Resistance, And Cognitive Outcomes In A Cohort Of Black And White Americans, Keith Pearson Jan 2016

Dietary Patterns, Insulin Resistance, And Cognitive Outcomes In A Cohort Of Black And White Americans, Keith Pearson

All ETDs from UAB

As life expectancy continues to increase and the number of elderly Americans rises, public health initiatives are seeking to identify modifiable risk factors to preserve cognitive function and increase quality of life in advanced ages. The primary objective of this dissertation was to investigate dietary patterns, carbohydrate consumption, and insulin resistance as modifiable risk factors that may contribute to the development of cognitive impairment and cognitive decline. Three separate studies were performed in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study, a prospective cohort containing 30,239 black and white participants. Cognitive impairment was defined using the Six-Item Screener. …

Go to article

Study Of Cobalt, Cobalt-Iron, And Chromium Doped Ii-Vi Media For Laser Applications, Jeremy M. Peppers Jan 2016

Study Of Cobalt, Cobalt-Iron, And Chromium Doped Ii-Vi Media For Laser Applications, Jeremy M. Peppers

All ETDs from UAB

The middle infrared (mid-IR) spectral range of 2-15 μm possesses characteristics that make it interesting for a number of applications such as spectroscopy, free-space communication, remote detection of organic compounds, materials processing and medical diagnosis. Many organic molecules exhibit strong absorption in this spectral range, rendering their detection and identification possible. There also exist bands of atmospheric transmission which can allow free-space propagation of mid-IR light over considerable distances within the atmosphere. Because of these, there is an increasing demand for broadly tunable laser sources operating in this spectral range. II-VI wide bandgap semiconductor hosts doped with transition metal (TM) …

Go to article

Evaluation Of Merge Control Strategies For Interstate Work Zones And Their Impacts On Construction Planning And Scheduling Decisions, Ossama Elsayed Mahmoud Ramadan Jan 2016

Evaluation Of Merge Control Strategies For Interstate Work Zones And Their Impacts On Construction Planning And Scheduling Decisions, Ossama Elsayed Mahmoud Ramadan

All ETDs from UAB

Maintenance and rehabilitation projects of interstate facilities typically mandate lane closures which often result in bottlenecks. Merging maneuvers at these bottlenecks have adverse impacts on traffic operations. Conventionally, transportation management plans are developed to address such impacts; however, such plans rely on conventional bottleneck merge control as stipulated in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and overlook the relevant impacts on construction plans and schedules. Accordingly, agencies opt to schedule work zones during off-peak (nighttime) periods, which adversely impacts safety and productivity of workers. The issue persists because little is known about the performance of alternative bottleneck merge control …

Go to article

Early-Life Programming Of Emotional Behaviors And Cardiovascular Function, Samir Rana Jan 2016

Early-Life Programming Of Emotional Behaviors And Cardiovascular Function, Samir Rana

All ETDs from UAB

Extensive evidence implicates bi-directional relationship between mood disorders and cardiovascular disorders. Early-life experience can have strong effects both on emotional development and cardiovascular function throughout life. Studies in humans are limited to correlational analyses, which are necessarily limited in terms of revealing mechanistic underpinnings of these associations. Thus, various pre-clinical models are utilized to investigate the effects of early-life experience in various domains, such as behavior and cardiovascular function, which are likely mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. Previous studies have used maternal separation and neonatal handling in developing rodents as a way to model differences in early-life experience. The effect of …

Go to article

Optimal Harmonic Filter Topology Applied In Hv And Ehv Networks Using Particle Swarm Optimization, Reynaldo Ramos Jan 2016

Optimal Harmonic Filter Topology Applied In Hv And Ehv Networks Using Particle Swarm Optimization, Reynaldo Ramos

All ETDs from UAB

Passive shunt harmonic filter banks have proven to be an effective method for reducing harmonic distortion in high-voltage and extra high-voltage networks, while providing the necessary volt-ampere-reactive power support and voltage support. Previous work in this area has provided information regarding the design and application of harmonic filters as well as discussion of the different harmonic filter topologies that are typically employed. However, there is a lack of information in the area of optimal harmonic filter topology selection and sizing when the power system is networked. The core contribution of this work is the development of an optimization method for …

Go to article

Correlating High Reliability Organization Practices With Preventable Harms Across Children’S Hospitals Participating In The Children’S Hospitals’ Solutions For Patient Safety Collaborative, Kelly H. Randall Jan 2016

Correlating High Reliability Organization Practices With Preventable Harms Across Children’S Hospitals Participating In The Children’S Hospitals’ Solutions For Patient Safety Collaborative, Kelly H. Randall

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Despite significant effort, focus, and resources dedicated to reducing patient safety risk, the healthcare system continues to have high error rates. Approaches and strategies implemented to decrease human error have been marginally successful in achieving sustainable reduction in patient harm. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between high reliability and patient safety outcomes by testing the following hypotheses: Organizations exhibiting more advanced high reliability practice will have fewer hospital acquired conditions (as defined by the Serious Harm Event Index (SHE) than organizations exhibiting less advanced high reliability practices; and organizations exhibiting more advanced high …

Go to article

Reorganization Of The Golgi Apparatus During Human Cytomegalovirus Infection, George Michael Rebmann Jan 2016

Reorganization Of The Golgi Apparatus During Human Cytomegalovirus Infection, George Michael Rebmann

All ETDs from UAB

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the largest and most structurally complex of all the herpesviruses. HCMV is an important human pathogen that results in significant morbidity and disease in immunocompromised individuals. The assembly of herpesviruses is complex and involves a nuclear and cytoplasmic phase. The nuclear events of capsid assembly and genome incorporation as well as nuclear egress are believed to be similar in all herpesviruses and as such, are more clearly defined then the cytoplasmic phase; including the process of tegument and envelope acquisition. Human Cytomegalovirus induces the reorganization of the cellular secretory pathway including the Golgi apparatus and membranes …

Go to article

Examining Hiv-Associated Symptom Burden And Microbial Translocation In The Veterans Aging Cohort Study: A Secondary Data Analysis, Natalie Lynn Wilson Jan 2016

Examining Hiv-Associated Symptom Burden And Microbial Translocation In The Veterans Aging Cohort Study: A Secondary Data Analysis, Natalie Lynn Wilson

All ETDs from UAB

group of 50 women (group 1) received computer-tailored feedback with brief counseling.

Go to article

The Impact Of Rrna And Trna Synthesis On Chromatin Structure And Cell Fate, Jessica Makofske Woolnough Jan 2016

The Impact Of Rrna And Trna Synthesis On Chromatin Structure And Cell Fate, Jessica Makofske Woolnough

All ETDs from UAB

The Central Dogma of molecular biology describes the process by which genetic material is faithfully converted into functional molecules across all domains of life. Originally, RNA was solely understood as an intermediate in this process. However, mounting evidence over the past 50 years has made clear that RNA have diverse functional roles as a class of molecule termed non-coding RNA. Two of the first described non-coding RNA have essential roles within the Central Dogma, itself: ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and transfer RNA (tRNA). These two non-coding RNA are highly abundant, collectively accounting for up to 90% of the total transcript in …

Go to article

Retention Of Cad/Cam Crowns Luted With A Novel Biomimetic Cement, Nan Xiang Jan 2016

Retention Of Cad/Cam Crowns Luted With A Novel Biomimetic Cement, Nan Xiang

All ETDs from UAB

Objectives: To measure the tensile strength of e.max copings cemented with resin, calcium silicate and calcium phosphate cements following thermocycling. Methods: 40 extracted non-carious mandibular premolar teeth were examined and selected using Keyence microscope for no carious cracks etc.were mounted in acrylic. The teeth were placed in a lathe and prepared to uniform dimensions (22° total taper) using a flat-end tapered diamond bur (846.11.025HP, Brasseler) and a 3mm preparation height. The surface area of the prepared surface was calculated with digital microscopy. The teeth were scanned with a Cerec 3 (Sirona) digital scanner. E.max crowns were milled using Cerec 3 …

Go to article

Trustworthy And Efficient Digital Forensics In The Cloud, D M Shams Zawoad Jan 2016

Trustworthy And Efficient Digital Forensics In The Cloud, D M Shams Zawoad

All ETDs from UAB

The rise of cloud computing has changed the way of using computing services and resources. However, the black-box nature of clouds and the multi-tenant cloud models have brought new security risks, especially in terms of digital forensics. Current cloud computing architectures often lack support for digital forensic investigations since many of the assumptions that are valid for traditional computing environment are invalid in clouds. Current digital forensics tools and procedures rely on the physical access to the evidence. In clouds, computing and storage resources are no longer local and these resources are also shared between multiple cloud users. Hence, even …

Go to article

Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy Of Two-Dimensional Electron Gasses At High Magnetic Fields, Jeremy Alan Curtis Jan 2016

Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy Of Two-Dimensional Electron Gasses At High Magnetic Fields, Jeremy Alan Curtis

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation covers two projects that were in the logical path to studying decoherence in a high mobility GaAs two–dimensional electron gas at high magnetic fields. The first project is the ultrafast non–degenerate pump–probe spectroscopic study of bulk GaAs in the Split Florida Helix at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University. This project was undertaken as a proof of concept that ultrafast optics could be done in the Split Florida Helix so that we might study a high mobility two dimensional electron gas using THz time–domain spectroscopy at high magnetic fields, which is a much more …

Go to article

Stress Analysis Of Transmission Line Steel Pole Joints, Austin Abiodun Dada Jan 2016

Stress Analysis Of Transmission Line Steel Pole Joints, Austin Abiodun Dada

All ETDs from UAB

fractures. However, young women in the United States do not consume adequate

Go to article

Modeling And Analysis Of Systems Using The Least Action Principle In Information Theory, Serkan Guldal Jan 2016

Modeling And Analysis Of Systems Using The Least Action Principle In Information Theory, Serkan Guldal

All ETDs from UAB

The Least Action Principle (LAP) is widely applied to search for solutions to problems of classical mechanics. It claims that if an infinitesimal change does not affect the action of a system, that action would be the least action. In classical mechanics, if a particle moves from point A to point B, it will search for the path that requires the least energy consumption. Modeling physical phenomena utilizing LAP helps to predict an equation of motion and this principle is applicable for all known systems. In this dissertation, we use the maximum independent set from graph theory as a guiding …

Go to article

White Matter Abnormalities In Patients With Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures, Seongtaek Lee Jan 2016

White Matter Abnormalities In Patients With Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures, Seongtaek Lee

All ETDs from UAB

The aim of the present study was to investigate white matter diffusion abnormalities using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). The total subjects consisted of 16 patients with a definite diagnosis of PNES and 16 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC). The diagnosis of PNES was confirmed by inpatient video/EEG monitoring; patients with epileptic seizures, additional types of seizures of unknown etiology, or who had an abnormal EEG indicating possible comorbid epilepsy were excluded. Also, HCs had no known history of comorbid neurological or psychiatric disorders. Whole brain fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) …

Go to article

Leukemia Stem Cell Markers And Inv(16) In Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Jason Legrand Jan 2016

Leukemia Stem Cell Markers And Inv(16) In Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Jason Legrand

All ETDs from UAB

Although greater than 85% of inv(16) acute myeloid leukemia patients are able to achieve first complete remission after anthracycline- and cytarabine-based therapy, only about 60% of patients survive the disease long-term due to relapsed disease or treatment-related mortality. Multiple studies have shown that acute myeloid leukemia is composed of heterogeneous populations of leukemic clones that can exhibit a wide degree of genetic, epigenetic, and functional diversity, accounting for different outcomes in response to therapy. Genomic analysis of leukemic clones in paired diagnostic and relapse samples of acute myeloid leukemia has shown that all relapses stem from surviving leukemic or ancestral …

Go to article

Writing Centers Across The Curriculum: Reimagining Writing Centers Through Writing Across The Curriculum And Human Resource Management, Adele Leon Jan 2016

Writing Centers Across The Curriculum: Reimagining Writing Centers Through Writing Across The Curriculum And Human Resource Management, Adele Leon

All ETDs from UAB

Current research in Writing across the Curriculum theory and writing center assessment shows concerns for students being able to connect their writing to their disciplines. However, little is being said about connecting writing centers to WAC programs, and less is being said about having writing centers take on the role of a WAC program. This thesis addresses the possibility of the latter, and creating a Writing Centers Across the Curriculum program to better help students across the disciplines connect their writing to their majors. In the creation of a WCAC program, a strong focus on training writing center tutors through …

Go to article

Laboratory-Scale Investigations Of Low-Permeability Porous Media By Analysis Of Transient Pressure Measurements, Michael Joseph Hannon Jan 2016

Laboratory-Scale Investigations Of Low-Permeability Porous Media By Analysis Of Transient Pressure Measurements, Michael Joseph Hannon

All ETDs from UAB

To provide a greater understanding of critical parameters of ultra-tight geologic formations such as shales, this report considers alternative approaches to the laboratory-scale pressure-pulse-decay permeametry method. These include new analytical models with which to analyze data from the principal rapid pulse-decay variants used in professional laboratories today. Novel revisions to the pulse-decay method are suggested and compared, in theory, against existing technologies. A new experimental procedure for the assessment of whole-core cylindrical samples is proposed that simultaneously determines the porosity and apparent permeabilities parallel and perpendicular to the native bedding plane from a single test on a single cylindrical core …

Go to article

High-Intensity Interval Training With Energy Restriction Preserves Lean Tissue And Improves Glucose Tolerance In Obesity, Rachel Ann Harley Jan 2016

High-Intensity Interval Training With Energy Restriction Preserves Lean Tissue And Improves Glucose Tolerance In Obesity, Rachel Ann Harley

All ETDs from UAB

Calorie restriction (CR) reduces body weight (BW) and adiposity, but is often less than expected due to hypometabolism produced by reductions in lean body mass (LBM). A comparable energy deficit created by combining CR and exercise energy expenditure (EE) has been shown to attenuate the reduction in EE produced by CR. Continuous moderate-intensity training (MIT) is commonly used to sustain energy balance or expedite weight loss, but high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may produce greater results. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if HIIT preserves LBM and improves energy metabolism to a greater extent than MIT in the presence …

Go to article

Exploring The /Role Of The Principal In Creating A Culture Of High Academic Optimism: A Sequential Quan --> Qual Mixed Methods Study, William A. Harper Jan 2016

Exploring The /Role Of The Principal In Creating A Culture Of High Academic Optimism: A Sequential Quan --> Qual Mixed Methods Study, William A. Harper

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT Principals are held accountable for the academic achievement of their students. This study addressed renewed interest in how principals can improve student achievement (SA) by improving the culture of their schools. Previous research demonstrated a positive relationship between the construct of academic optimism (AO) and SA. The purpose of this mixed methods sequential Quan  Qual research study was to understand how principals in Alabama middle schools create a culture of AO that fosters high SA. In the quantitative phase 218 Alabama schools with Grade 8 were stratified into high and low categories of SA based on the percentage …

Go to article

Toward A Scalable, Transactional, Fault-Tolerant Message Passing Interface For Petascale And Exascale Machines, Amin Hassani Jan 2016

Toward A Scalable, Transactional, Fault-Tolerant Message Passing Interface For Petascale And Exascale Machines, Amin Hassani

All ETDs from UAB

was needed to increase calcium and vitamin D intake and positively change osteoporosis

Go to article

Unsynchronized Scanning With A Low-Cost Laser Range Finder For Real-Time Range Imaging, Isa Hatipoglu Jan 2016

Unsynchronized Scanning With A Low-Cost Laser Range Finder For Real-Time Range Imaging, Isa Hatipoglu

All ETDs from UAB

Range imaging plays an essential role in many fields: 3D modeling, robotics, heritage, agriculture, forestry, reverse engineering. One of the most popular range-measuring technologies is laser scanner due to its several advantages: longer range, highly precise and real-time measurement capabilities, no lighting condition dependency, and less computational power requirement. However, laser scanners are very costly. Their high cost limit their usage in applications with low-cost limitation, especially for static environments like heritage sites. In this work, we present an unsynchronized scanning with a low-cost laser range finders (LRFs) to decrease scanning period and reduce vibrations caused by “scan-stop” in synchronized …

Go to article

Changes In Quality Of Life Following Substance Use Disorder Treatment For Mentally Ill Homeless Individuals, Lauren Hayes Jan 2016

Changes In Quality Of Life Following Substance Use Disorder Treatment For Mentally Ill Homeless Individuals, Lauren Hayes

All ETDs from UAB

Quality of life (QOL) is a treatment outcome for substance use disorders that has largely been overlooked. Research suggests QOL is poor among persons with substance use disorders, even following treatment, but is unclear if this is primarily attributable to substance abuse itself or other life areas. Some evidence suggests other factors are responsible for low QOL, such as psychiatric distress. This paper examined QOL, its changes following treatment, and its contributors in two substance use disorder treatment studies (Homeless IV and EARTH) among persons who are homeless with co-occurring disorders. The purpose was to evaluate whether psychiatric distress should …

Go to article

Three-Dimensional Age-Related Changes Of The Adult Male Face, Catherine Haynie Haynie Jan 2016

Three-Dimensional Age-Related Changes Of The Adult Male Face, Catherine Haynie Haynie

All ETDs from UAB

Objectives: The adult population is a fast growing subgroup of orthodontic practices. The facial soft tissues of adults are different from adolescents, and there is significant sexual dimorphism in the aging of facial soft tissue. It is imperative for the orthodontist to understand how aging effects the soft tissues of the face, and to know how male and females differ in this process. The objectives of this study include: 1.) Identification of trends in facial aging among a Caucasian male and African American male sample utilizing three-dimensional surface imaging technology. 2.) Comparison of the aging effects between the Caucasian and …

Go to article

Genetic Enhancer Screen With Transition Zone Mutant Nphp-4 Reveals Novel Interactions With Mutation Affecting Intraflagellar Transport And Endocytic Pathways, Scott Henke Jan 2016

Genetic Enhancer Screen With Transition Zone Mutant Nphp-4 Reveals Novel Interactions With Mutation Affecting Intraflagellar Transport And Endocytic Pathways, Scott Henke

All ETDs from UAB

to suggest an association between log(CRP) and smoking, controlling for WC and race.

Go to article

The Cost Of Home Rule: An Alabama Case Study, Mary Elizabeth Hendrix Jan 2016

The Cost Of Home Rule: An Alabama Case Study, Mary Elizabeth Hendrix

All ETDs from UAB

increase calcium and vitamin D consumption in young women is needed.

Go to article

Examining The Relationship Between Surgical Profiles And Financial Performance Of Hospitals, Lucas Higman Jan 2016

Examining The Relationship Between Surgical Profiles And Financial Performance Of Hospitals, Lucas Higman

All ETDs from UAB

Hospitals operate in turbulent and complex environments with limited resources. Consequently, administrators need to understand how to best use resources and improve a hospital’s positioning in a market. Surgical services is a key operational activity for hospitals, thus, a better understanding of how these services are organized by hospitals likely has important implications for a hospital’s performance and potentially survival. Given the potential importance of surgical services to hospitals, the purpose of this study was three-fold. First, the study identified different surgical profiles of hospitals based on the type and volume of surgical services provided by hospitals. Second, the study …

Go to article

Andy Loves Richard: The Revelations Of Vote Mcgovern (1972), Amelia Hobson Jan 2016

Andy Loves Richard: The Revelations Of Vote Mcgovern (1972), Amelia Hobson

All ETDs from UAB

In 1972, Pop artist Andy Warhol was asked by the Democratic National Convention to design a poster for the campaign of George McGovern in his race against presidential incumbent Richard Nixon. The final print was produced in an edition of 250 prints and sold at auction with the proceeds donated to McGovern’s campaign. The work commands almost immediate attention as it depicts not George McGovern, as might be expected, but his opponent President Richard Nixon. Nixon’s head consumes the greater portion of the print and looms over the scrawled text, “VOTE MCGOVERN.” Nixon’s eyes are yellow and his face green …

Go to article

The Use Of An Open-Label Placebo To Treat Cancer-Related Fatigue In Cancer Survivors, Theresa Walker Hoenemeyer Jan 2016

The Use Of An Open-Label Placebo To Treat Cancer-Related Fatigue In Cancer Survivors, Theresa Walker Hoenemeyer

All ETDs from UAB

Background: A placebo is an inert substance (e.g., sugar pill) or procedure (e.g., sham surgery) that should confer no beneficial effects. Nonetheless, typically, 30-50% of those randomized to placebos report significant benefits. New studies indicate that the use of disclosed or open-label placebos reduces self-reported symptoms among patients with irritable bowel syndrome, migraine attacks, and major depression. Methods: The investigator conducted a 7-week pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and effects of an open-labeled administration of placebo pills on patient-reported clinical and psychosocial outcomes among cancer survivors seeking relief from cancer-related fatigue. The specific aims of this study were to: …

Go to article

Astrocyte Morphology And Cell Number In Rett Syndrome, Kenneth Taylor Holt Jan 2016

Astrocyte Morphology And Cell Number In Rett Syndrome, Kenneth Taylor Holt

All ETDs from UAB

Rett Syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a mutation in the transcriptional regulator methyl CPG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene that affects 1 in 10,000 female live births annually. RTT patients experience seemingly normal development for the first 12-18 months of life; this period of normal development is followed by developmental regression. The symptoms of Rett syndrome include severe cognitive deficits, seizures, loss of ambulation and gross motor skills, breathing abnormalities, hand stereotopies and gastrointestinal dysmotility. The basic science research for this disorder has focused almost exclusively on neuronal mechanisms, leaving limited understating of the role of …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last